The market · Herbs and aromatics · Southeast Asia
Lemongrass
A tall grass with a lemon scent and no sourness.
citrusy · floral
What to do with it
MinangkabauRendangBeef simmered in coconut milk and spice paste for hours, until the liquid is gone and the meat fries in what's left.2 versions here
MinangkabauSoto PadangA clear, spiced beef broth poured over crisp-fried beef, rice vermicelli and potato fritters, with crackers and rice alongside.No one here has made it yetMinangkabauItiak lado mudoDuck simmered with spice until tender, then cooked down in a great heap of pounded green chilli and shallot until coated and oily.No one here has made it yetJavaneseRawonA beef soup turned black by keluak nuts, earthy and deep, served with rice, short bean sprouts, a salted egg and sambal.No one here has made it yetJavaneseSoto ayamA clear chicken broth, yellow with turmeric, poured over shredded chicken, glass noodles, bean sprouts and egg, with lime, sambal and fried shallots.No one here has made it yetSundanesePepes ikanFish rubbed with a yellow spice paste, wrapped in banana leaf with lemon basil, tomato and chilli, then steamed and grilled.No one here has made it yetSundaneseEmpal gentongBeef and offal stewed in a spiced coconut broth in a clay pot over a wood fire, with rice or lontong and dried chilli to sprinkle.No one here has made it yetSundaneseSoto mie BogorYellow noodles, beef and cabbage in a clear spiced beef broth, with tomato, potato and slices of fried spring roll.No one here has made it yetBalineseBabi gulingA whole young pig stuffed with base genep and greens, rubbed with turmeric and spit-roasted over wood until the skin shatters.No one here has made it yetBalineseBebek betutuA whole duck or chicken stuffed and smothered with base genep, wrapped and cooked slowly in embers until it falls apart.No one here has made it yetBalineseSate lilitMinced fish or pork mixed with grated coconut, base genep and lime leaf, pressed around lemongrass or flat bamboo and grilled.No one here has made it yetBalineseBase genepThe complete Balinese spice paste: shallot, garlic, four rhizomes, chilli, candlenut, shrimp paste and warm spices, ground together.No one here has made it yetBalineseSambal matahA raw sambal of sliced shallot, lemongrass, chilli and lime leaf, with toasted shrimp paste and lime, dressed in hot coconut oil.No one here has made it yetMinahasanTinutuanA thick rice porridge full of pumpkin, sweet potato, cassava, corn and greens, with no meat, eaten with smoked fish and dabu-dabu.No one here has made it yetMinahasanAyam rica-ricaChicken cooked in a paste of fresh red and bird's eye chilli, shallot, garlic and ginger, finished with lemongrass, lime leaf and lemon basil.No one here has made it yetMinahasanCakalang fufuSkipjack tuna, split and clamped in bamboo frames, then smoked until firm and dark — eaten fried, shredded into sambal or cooked in rica.No one here has made it yetMinahasanIkan wokuFish cooked in a yellow paste of turmeric, chilli and candlenut with a great handful of fresh leaves — lemon basil, lemongrass, pandan, lime leaf.No one here has made it yetMinahasanPanadaA soft yeasted dough folded around spiced, shredded skipjack and fried golden.No one here has made it yetMinahasanTinoransakPork packed into green bamboo with chilli, ginger, lemongrass and lemon basil, and cooked in the flames.No one here has made it yet
ThaiTom yumA hot and sour broth scented with lemongrass, galangal and lime leaf, sharpened with lime and fish sauce — usually with prawns.No one here has made it yetThaiKhua klingMinced meat dry-fried in a fierce southern curry paste until every crumb is coated, with shredded lime leaf — no coconut and no sauce.No one here has made it yetVietnameseBún bò HuếThick, round rice noodles in a beef and pork broth sharp with lemongrass, deepened with fermented shrimp paste and reddened with chilli oil.No one here has made it yetVietnameseCơm tấmBroken rice with a grilled lemongrass pork chop, shredded pork skin, a slice of steamed egg and pork loaf, pickles and nước chấm.No one here has made it yetMalaysianCurry laksaNoodles in a rich, spiced coconut curry broth, with tofu puffs, prawns, chicken, bean sprouts and a spoonful of sambal.No one here has made it yetMalaysianAssam laksaThick rice noodles in a sour, spicy broth of flaked mackerel and tamarind, heaped with pineapple, cucumber, onion, mint and torch ginger flower, with sweet prawn paste on top.No one here has made it yetMalaysianSataySkewers of turmeric-marinated meat grilled over charcoal, with a sweet, spicy peanut sauce, rice cakes, cucumber and onion.No one here has made it yetMalaysianNasi kerabuRice dyed blue with butterfly pea flowers, eaten with finely shredded herbs, kerisik, fish or chicken, budu and sambal.No one here has made it yetFilipinoChicken inasalChicken marinated in vinegar, calamansi, lemongrass and ginger, grilled over charcoal and basted with annatto oil.No one here has made it yetKinds
- Fresh stalks
- Use the pale bottom third; bruise it first.
- Frozen, chopped
- Nearly as good.
- Dried
- Only for infusions.
If you can't find it
Asian grocers fresh or frozen; supermarkets sell it in tubes as paste.
- 1Frozen lemongrassThe sameYou lose very little.
- 2Lemongrass pasteAbout a tablespoon per stalkYou lose some freshness; tubes are often sweetened or salted, so taste first.
- 3Lemon zestThe zest of half a lemon per stalkYou lose the grassy, gingery side.Gets some back a slice or two of ginger.
Goes with
Cooked with, here
How much, here
3–3% of the dish by weight — a place to start.
Knowing it
- Where to buy
- Southeast Asian grocers. Firm, heavy stalks.
Kitchens that keep it in
West Sumatra, IndonesiaMinangkabauThe cooking of the Minang highlands: chilli, coconut and time, and the source of the Padang restaurants found across Indonesia and Malaysia.10 classics · 3 cooked hereBali, IndonesiaBalineseThe cooking of Hindu Bali: pork roasted whole, duck slow-cooked in spice, lawar chopped for the temple feast, and base genep, the paste behind nearly everything.9 classicsMinahasa, North Sulawesi, IndonesiaMinahasanThe cooking of Sulawesi's northern tip: fierce with fresh chilli, green with herbs, full of skipjack tuna from the Celebes Sea, and with a few Dutch cakes kept from long ago.9 classicsThailandThaiA cooking of balance, tasted and adjusted at every step: sour, sweet, salty and hot in the same mouthful, sharpened with herbs.11 classicsVietnamVietnameseClear broths, fish sauce and a plate of fresh herbs: a cooking of contrasts — hot and cool, soft and crisp — finished by each person at the table.11 classicsMalaysia — the Malay Peninsula and northern Borneo, between the Strait of Malacca and the South China SeaMalaysianMalay, Chinese, Indian and Peranakan cooking side by side: sambal, coconut and rice, wok-fried noodles and flaky roti, eaten at hawker stalls and mamak shops at all hours.10 classicsYunnan province, south-western ChinaYunnanA kitchen of many peoples, from the edge of the Tibetan plateau down to the tropics: rice noodles and cured ham, wild mushrooms and fresh cheese, and the sour, herb-bright cooking of the Dai.7 classics
